Dancehall Artist Munga Honorable Freed Of Murder Charge

A wave of celebration swept through the camp of dancehall artist Munga Honorable on Friday after the entertainer and his co-accused walked free from the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston.

Munga, whose real name is Damian Rhoden, and co-accused Sheridan Gordon were freed after prosecutors informed the court that they would be offering no further evidence in relation to the 2017 murder of Cleveland Smith in Ackee Walk, St Andrew.

The dramatic development brought an end to a case that had drawn significant public attention and legal scrutiny over the years.

DancehallMag understands that the prosecution’s decision followed concerns over inconsistencies in the testimony of the trial’s sole eyewitness. The witness, whose evidence formed the cornerstone of the Crown’s case, completed her testimony on Thursday after several days on the witness stand.

“She wilted under cross examination and we were able to punch holes in her testimony in terms of identification. Her response called in question whether she was even there,” Townsend told DancehallMag. “Some things were more than ridiculous and out of keeping with common sense.”

The trial had only begun last week before taking an unexpected turn with Friday’s outcome.

Munga was represented by attorneys-at-law Christopher Townsend and Chadwyk Berry, while Gordon’s legal team consisted of King’s Counsel Peter Champagne and attorney Sayeed Bernard.

The entertainer’s supporters greeted the verdict with jubilation, bringing to a close a lengthy legal battle that had cast a shadow over the career of one of dancehall’s most recognizable performers.

With the case now behind him, attention is expected to shift back to Munga’s music career as fans await his next move following his release.

“He is in studio now working on a song. This case placed a lot of me mental strain on him as when an artiste is accused of murder, no one wants to hire you and no one is going to book you because there may be problems with traveling to certain markets,” Townsend said.

Townsend added that ” Munga is now free to travel”.

“The ban is now lifted and we expect great things from him,” he concluded.